TIA GOSTELOW RELEASES SINGLE 'SOUR'
Tia Gostelow writes to us with a cool and calm tone, answering our questions about the release of her upcoming single, telling us what it’s like to be a young musician. We learn that she grew up playing guitar, that she struggled a lot during her first international tour, but that she believes in herself still. She is humble and articulate. What she leaves out is that last year, at the age of 22 one of her singles went platinum; she’s done a stunning Triple J Like a Version; and in 2019 her debut album, Thick Skin, was nominated for Album of the Year at the National Indigenous Music Awards. Today, she is celebrating the release of her latest single ‘Sour’. The single is a bright one, tangy and poppy with a storyline open to interpretation, here’s what she has to say about the release, touring and everything in between.
What has been the most surprising experience or aspect of your career so far?
I would say that my first tour in the UK/Europe when I was 19 taught me a hell of a lot. I had an image and idea of what my first overseas tour would look like, and in reality it was the complete opposite. I was in the worst headspace I’ve ever been in when I started that tour and I feel like that set the tone for the whole trip.
I was out of my depths and it was a huge, humbling reality check. I had really only just met my new band, we were all still getting to know each other and finding our feet together. I was playing great shows in Australia at that moment and I thought I’d at least have maybe 50 people in these rooms overseas, but we were lucky if there were five, and it really made me feel like a failure. I was comparing myself to so many other Australian bands that were touring overseas and felt like I wasn’t good enough. I felt like I was failing, I ended up getting really sick and losing my voice, which meant we had to cancel some shows. My poor parents were getting calls from me every day and at all hours in tears just wishing I was back home.
We had a day off in Berlin and I think that’s when my mindset changed. I knew I was the only one that could change my outlook on the situation and once I did that, things started feeling good again. I reminded myself that there might only be five people here to see me, but these five people are on the complete other side of the world and they know my music. How cool is that? Our last show was in Amsterdam and it was a packed out room—the perfect way to end the tour. That tour really taught me to look after myself mentally and physically, and was a massive reminder that we’re all on our own paths. Once you start comparing where you are to where other people are, that’s when you lose the game.
What sets your new single, 'Sour', apart from your previous releases? Not just in terms of sound, but in terms of what the creative process was like for you, what it means.
Sour was really fun to write because I embellished the story a lot. It stemmed from this memory that I had of a guy flirting with me and I had no idea. A friend I was with had to let me know because I wasn’t picking up on the vibes. I’ve been in a relationship for 7 years so I guess it was really foreign to me hahah. When I write songs I feel like I’m pretty direct and have always kind of told it how it is, whereas with Sour it was really fun to just dramatise it and not be so serious about what I was trying to say.
What do you want people to know about you as an artist, something that might surprise us, or something important to you?
I’m a very big introvert and homebody. I really struggle with putting myself out in front of people, especially on social media. I think it’s just such a foreign thing to put your whole life and all of the parts of yourself online for people to see and [judge]. I’ve always struggled with it. I do also realise that I’ve picked a career that puts me in a position that means I do need to connect with people and allow them in to see who I am at my core. I’m still trying to find a middle ground that allows people in but also feels good for me and doesn’t make me feel like I’m being inauthentic. It’s really hard to try and evolve with social media because it moves so fast and it can be hard to not feel overwhelmed by it.
Tell us something about your childhood that has been influential to you as an artist now.
I think seeing how much my parents believed in me from the moment I started playing guitar has always pushed me to keep going and be the artist I am now. They were driving me around to gigs and competitions almost every weekend from 12 years old until I could do it by myself and not once in my life have they tried to tell me that having this career wasn’t achievable. Having that support from so early on has been really influential in my desire to make music a lifelong career. I have never imagined myself doing anything other than music and that’s all because of my parents.
What has been the most memorable gig you’ve played?
I would have to say it was when I played Mountain Goat Valley Crawl in 2020. Mountain Goat is a free festival that happens in Fortitude Valley in Brisbane and it was the first festival I had ever headlined. I remember feeling sick from my nerves thinking that no one would turn up. I was waiting on the side of stage when I got texts from a friend trying to get in but the line was out the door and around the block. My nerves turned into adrenaline and it was such an amazing show. It was even more special because my parents were there.
See here for Tia’s newly released single ‘Sour’ and be sure to keep an eye on her for what’s next, she’s a real talent this one!